he international popularity of Spanish culture has exploded over
the last few years. From art and architecture, to gastronomy and
oenology, it seems that hedonists worldwide celebrate the splendour
of Spain. One quick and easy way to get your fix of ‘Espana’, without
having to get on a plane, is by cracking a bottle of Spanish wine.
Spain is fast becoming a world leader in wine making circles,
rivalling its illustrious neighbour to the north, France, and is now recognised for
producing high quality wines of exceptional value.
Grapes have been grown in Spain for wine making since before Roman times,
though wines have evolved greatly since these days with the transformation being
clearly evident during the last quarter of the 20th century. Recent years have seen the
emergence of new, more innovative wine makers that are setting new standards for
quality, modern wines.
Spain has 63 Denominacion de Origen (D.O. –or Designation of Origin – a symbol
of quality and wine making compliance), with several of the well known giants such as
Rioja and Ribera del Duero and Navarra being popular for decades. Today there are new,
up and coming, and exciting smaller regions such as Priorat, Campo de Borja, Rueda,
Toro, Terra Alta, which are enjoying a huge growth in popularity.
DOQ Rioja is Spain’s flagship and most famous wine producing region, making classic,
Spanish blended wines with a tradition which can place a high emphasis on long aging of
wines in oak barrels. This has in part established the classification system Rioja adheres to by
denominating their wines by the amount of time they have spent in the barrel.
Today, wine makers in Rioja may use a mix of French and American oak for their barrels
and take a more innovative and modern approach to achieve the high quality associated
with the region’s wines. These attributes can be found in many great wines from wineries
such as Bodegas Palacio, Marques de Murrietta, Rioja Vega and Martinez Bujanda.
One renowned producer of particular interest in Rioja Alta is Bodegas Muga, where
traditional and modern wine making techniques can be found side-by-side. A family-run
winery producing wines of pronounced personality, Bodegas Muga is unique in that it
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is one of the only wineries in Spain to have its
own cooperage (barrel making facilities) and
their own hand crafted barrels are used in
the production of all their wines. Decades of
family tradition, dedication and skill go into
every hand crafted bottle. Bodegas Muga
award winning wines receive accolades and
high ratings every year, in particular their
flagship Aro and Torre Muga. The Reserva
2004 was listed as one of Wine Spectator’s
Top 100 wines of 2008.
While Rioja DOQ may be Spain’s
flagship region, Ribera del Duero DO is
notorious for wines of premium quality
that command high prices with equal
recognition, where Vega Sicilia has in
the past been renowned for Spain’s most
expensive wine. A region of red grapes,
the vast majority of wine produced is
from Tempranillo, although quantities of
Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and
Merlot can be used in the blend.
The famous wine making village of Pesquera del
Duero is home to Bodegas Emilio Moro, whose
wine making skills and craft produce unblended
100% Tempranillo wines of exceptional quality. The
Bodegas vineyard goes back three generations where
Emilio Moro started his wine career treading grapes
and racking wines at the tender age of fourteen.
Bodegas Emilio Moro is proud to use a local
variety of the Tempranillo grape called Tinta Fino.
This strain has evolved over time, adapting to the
local “terroir” to become uniquely distinctive. It
is Tinta Fino which makes Emilio Moro wines
so exclusive and in particular the Malleolus de
Sanchomartin which has been rated by Wine
Spectator as not only Spain’s, but one of the world’s
best wines, consecutively gaining an outstanding
rating of 98 points.
Emilio Moro is well known as one of Spain’s
most prestigious wineries producing refined, award
winning wines that can be found on tables of
some of the worlds best restaurants, including top
Michelin starred Chef Ferran Adria’s, El Bulli.
Situated in the northeast of Spain near Rioja
on the Rio Ebro is the Campo de Borja DO and,
notably, Bodegas Borsao. In a region regarded for
its red wines, fresh white and rosé is also produced.
Under the shadow of the Moncayo Mountains,
the microclimates at Borsao’s vineyards produce
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exceptional strains of Garnacha (Grenache). Borsao
take this heaven sent product and blend it with
Tempranillo and either Cabernet, Syrah or Merlot to
create modern fruit forward Spanish wines. Robert
Parker recently described Bodegas Borsao as “one
of the worlds greatest value priced wines.” Bodegas
Borsao, whilst being highly rated, still strive to
create great quality wines of exceptional value and
affordability, most notably with their Tres Picos, 100%
Garnacha coming from over 100-year-old vines.
Whilst Borsao has been producing exceptional
wines for some time, a recent modernisation,
coupled with a highly visible marketing strategy in
Europe and North America has put Borsao on the
map. Their wines are full bodied and fruit forward
making them particularly suitable to pair with
various styles of Asian cuisine.
One of Spain’s smallest DO’s is Priorat.
Consisting of just 4151 acres (about 3% of the
size of Rioja), Priorat is having a large impact
with the creation of some of Spain’s most unique
wines. A once forgotten barren wasteland, it has
recently been rediscovered and subsequently Priorat
wines reflect the distinctinve ‘licorella’ soils and
microclimate of its harsh terrain.
A number of prominent wineries from outside
of the region discovered the un-tapped potential of
abandoned vineyards, and after massive investment
from pioneers such as Alvaro Palacios, are now
producing amazing, complex wines. One such
winery is the Casa Gran Del Siurana where the
dominant grape, Garnacha, is blended with typical
French varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah,
Merlot and Cabernet Franc to produce a stunning
wine called Cruor. The winery’s Gran Cruor, a
blend of Syrah with a little Carinena, which has
an emphasis on long maceration and barrel aging
in new French oak, is a wine to look out for. The
arduous terrain and small production of such
esoteric wines means that prices are relatively high
in comparison to some Spanish wines, yet still a
bargain when held up against other limited wines
of similar quality from other countries.
Whatever your preferred taste in wine maybe,
Spain will no doubt have something new, exciting

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and eye opening to offer to those who search
out and savour the experience. From light and
refreshing whites and roses, through to a myriad of
styles of red wines, Spain, while steeped in history,
is creating waves in a modern world of wine.
With some of the best value wines at almost every
level, wine lovers can relish a journey of discovery
through the regions of Spain. One notable importer
in Hong Kong, who has made it a mission to search
out such wines, is Montrose Fine Wines.